Padma Shri recipient and two-time National Award winner, Manoj Bajpayee is undoubtedly one of the finest actors that our film industry has seen.
Though many of us admire him for his great acting skills, very few know about his difficult yet inspiring struggle.
Recalling his struggle in one of the interviews, Manoj shared:
“I was born in Belwa, a small village in Bihar. Being the son of a farmer, I inherited a lot of responsibility for my family. One day, I read an interview with Raj Babbar who hailed from a small town like me and had hit gold in Bollywood. That was a defining moment and I decided to go after my dreams.”
But his journey to fulfill his dreams hasn’t been any easy. Sharing how his life was shattered in the first four years of struggle, he told HT,
“I have never had such a difficult time from the time I left my village at the age of 17 and a half. These four years were like 40 years. Everything was falling apart, once I got three projects: a series, a corporate film, one docudrama, and another series. In one day I was chucked out from all.”
He further added,
“Like most who come to Mumbai to make it big, I too had a long period of struggle, anxiety, disappointment and disillusion. It was routine then to give your photo to an assistant director, who would promptly throw it into a bin right in front of your eyes.”
But professional setbacks never really disheartened him, revealed Manoj.
“What was fantastic was that the world was falling apart for me but I was not falling apart. I still feel how it was the make of me. After many years I realized the only thing that can break me is my personal loss. The professional side never used to bother me, even now it doesn’t now,”
At IFORHER, we are in awe of Manoj Bajpayee and his undying determination to fulfill his dreams. The words – “Tough times never last, but tough people do” – beautifully sum up the inspiring journey of Manoj Bajpayee.
